DHS and EIC Host Interoperability Demonstration of OASIS Standards for Emergency Response at ''Technologies for Critical Incident Preparedness''

Business Wire, Sept 6, 2006

ATLANTA -- CAP and EDXL-DE Interoperable Data Communication Standards Enable Efficient and Coordinated Emergency Response

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Disaster Management (DM) program and members of the Emergency Interoperability Consortium (EIC) joined today in support of interoperable standards for the emergency responder community at the "Technologies for Critical Incident Preparedness" (CTC) conference in Atlanta. To show the benefits of exchanging interoperable data messages across disparate systems and devices, EIC members joined the DM team in a demonstration focusing on the use of the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP), an XML-based standard advanced and ratified by the OASIS standards consortium.

"Considering the range of challenges confronting us, there can be no higher priority than making sure that agencies and their communities can effectively share information at times of crisis. CAP is powerful evidence that data interoperability for emergency responders is achievable if both public and private entities commit themselves to fielding standards-compliant solutions," said Chip Hines, Acting Director, Office for Interoperability and Compatibility, U.S. Department of Homeland Security said, "The Disaster Management (DM) program at DHS is committed to addressing the critical need for data interoperability among the various agencies and institutions at all levels of local, tribal, state and Federal governments. DM is pleased that it has been able to work collaboratively with EIC and OASIS to bring forth validated interoperability standards that address this core mission."

"Every responder should have appropriate access to the information they require in an emergency when and how they need it," stated Matt Walton, Chairman of the EIC. "Today's demonstration of CAP clearly demonstrates the power of government and industry working together to solve urgent national problems."

"At this conference, product providers are demonstrating both CAP and the EDXL-DE (Emergency Data Exchange Language Distribution Element), which was ratified as an OASIS Standard in May of this year," noted Elysa Jones of Warning Systems, Chair of the OASIS Emergency Management Technical Committee. "EDXL-DE defines the routing information for the CAP message (or other data), creating a powerful interoperability tool." Jones stressed that the OASIS Emergency Management Technical Committee welcomes new participation in its continuing efforts to advance interoperable standards that meet the needs of the first responder community.

The Technologies for Critical Incident Preparedness Conference is presented by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) National Institute of Justice (NIJ), in association with CTC, Inc - Public Safety Technology Center (CTC). Focusing on Prevention, Preparedness, Response and Recovery, this three-day conference highlights the technology and training tools currently available and being developed for the emergency responder community to deal with major threats to lives and property, such as natural disasters and terrorist attacks. Conference speakers include State and local public safety professionals, as well as Federal experts from the U.S. Departments of Justice (DOJ), Homeland Security (DHS), and Defense (DoD).

About CAP

CAP is an open, non-proprietary OASIS Standard for the exchange of emergency alerts and public warning over data networks, computer-controlled public warning systems, and emergency management software applications. CAP is a simple, but general format that allows a consistent message to be disseminated simultaneously over many different systems, thus increasing effectiveness while simplifying the alerting task. CAP remains fully compatible with existing public warning systems, including those designed for multilingual and special-needs populations, as well as with XML applications such as Web services.

About EIC

The Emergency Interoperability Consortium (EIC) was launched in October 2002 to address our nation's lack of consistent technical interoperability and standards for emergency and incident management. Now comprised of over 60 private entities, public agencies and non-profit organizations, the EIC is promoting the development and adoption of standards for using Web services, Extensible Markup Language (XML) and existing relevant standards that will enable emergency industry interoperability.